How to use etnography in trend analysis?

18th September I attended a lecture on the interesting subject "Trend ethnography". With my Bachelor degree in Cultural Encounters (sociology and anthropology), I found Katrina Graffmans method of working with trends highly inspiring.

Firstly, she confirmed a company pain, I want to work with: companies, which want to stay competitive, are in the need of consumer insight! How do companies interact and identify different consumer needs? How do companies develop problem solving products? For me this is an important part of today’s innovation - consumer driven innovation.

Secondly, she made me recognize how I can use my education in solving the pain. She uses ethnography to observe and understand the consumers. The method aims to not listen to what the consumers tell but what they do! E.g. a study on women’s television habits showed that though the women claimed to watch news and documentaries, they actually spend most of their time watching soaps. It’s said that 80% are unconscious of what we do. We rely on our habits and our image of ourselves.

Thirdly, she presented one of her studies based on a company’s interest in the consumer group, 15-20 years old. A consumer group she calls "The Digital Natives". That’s the 90´generation who grew up with the digital media. How are they? Who are they listening to? How do they behave with mobiles? etc. After observing and spending time with the young people, Katrina concluded following 5 trends, characterizing the digital natives:

1. Media is integrated
2. Everything should be entertained
3. Need of autenticity
4. Experts lost trust worthiness. Blogs & mummy are trusty!
5. Real time information is important
   

Just to give an example, its important for the company, which wants to target the digital natives, to understand that the media is nothing the young people talk about - its something they can´t live without, just like the fish can´t live without the water! They are born as producers (e.g. create their own blog, Facebook, videos etc), which they consider as natural rather than interesting. Moreover they prefer free and easy technology. Finding "real" knowledge is complicated and boring. Another discovery is that they don´t trust experts like the Professor, doctor and journalist. For them home and trust you find in blogging with friends and your mum!
Read more about digital natives vs digital immigrants in an article from Timesonline.